Saskatoon Ranks Seventh in Municipal Benchmarking Study
SASKATOON, SK (JAN 11, 2023) – Today, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) released its 2022 Municipal Benchmarking Study that examines how local development processes, approvals, and charges affect housing affordability and housing supply in major housing markets across the country.
The study compares approaches that 21 Canadian municipalities have in three key areas that affect the development of new home construction: 1) municipal planning approval processes; 2) municipal charges imposed on new development; and 3) municipal approval timelines. In so doing, it highlights key features that help or hinder the process of bringing new housing to approval and ultimate construction, as well as the cost implications for homebuyers of municipal processes, policies, and taxes.
“This report provides valuable insight into how our municipality can better support the efficient and effective delivery of housing supply in our city, and the impact inefficiencies and government fees have on housing affordability,” said Nicole Burgess, CEO of Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association, “The intent is to open a dialogue between industry and the municipality regarding what policies and systems are currently working to support housing supply and affordability in our city and to also identify and provide a path forward on where improvements can be made.”
Rankings for each studied municipality are available in the full report. The rankings show which municipal governments are leading in the three areas – planning features, approvals timelines, and municipal charges – and gives each an overall ranking.
Click here to view the compressed Saskatoon version of the Municipal Benchmarking Study.
Key Findings:
- The cities of Edmonton, Charlottetown, and London rank highest overall on the list, with strong rankings in at least two of the three categories studied. All ten Greater Toronto and Hamilton and Metro Vancouver municipalities are ranked in the bottom ten.
- Saskatoon has a combined ranking of seventh across the three categories of approval timelines, government charges, and planning features. The City has the second fastest approval timelines in the study.
- The City of Saskatoon had the second best average approval timeline at 4.1 months, an improvement from the 2020 Study, with the City’s rank also improving from 3rd to 2nd in this area.
- Saskatoon also has the highest per unit government charges in Western Canada (except Surrey) for low-rise development at approximately $71,555 per unit. The development fees in Saskatoon are the highest in the region due to frontage-based charges imposed.
Media Contact:
Kirsten Szwydky | Marketing & Communications Coordinator
306-955-5188
marketing@saskatoonhomebuilders.com
The Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association (SRHBA) is the professional association representing approximately 245 companies involved in the housing industry and provides the only certifications available for professional home builders and renovators.
It is the expert voice focused on improving affordability, quality and choice of housing in Saskatoon and Region, and works collaboratively with stakeholders and governments to get there.
For more information, visit: www.saskatoonhomebuilders.com.
